QUITO.- The former honorary consul of United Kingdom, In the Ecuadorian city of Guayaquil, Colin Armstrong was released “safe and sound” after being kidnapped on Saturday, amid a wave of violence linked to drug trafficking, according to authorities in the South American country.
“Our units RELEASED citizen Collin (sic) A., kidnapped days before in (the province of) #LosRíos. At the moment he is safe and sound. There are 9 apprehended,” said the police commander, General César Zapata, through his account on the social network X, formerly Twitter.
The British ambassador in Quito, Chris Campbell, said in “.
Without offering further details, Zapata noted that the former diplomat was released on the way to the coastal province of Manabí, to the southwest and neighboring Los Ríos. Both are among the most violent in the country.
He also released a photo in which Armstrong appears crossed with his arms and wearing a police cap, standing between two uniformed officers.
The Minister of Government, Mónica Palencia, confirmed the release of the 78-year-old former diplomat and agricultural businessman.
“Thanks to the work of @PoliciaEcuador and its units, Armstrong’s rescue was achieved,” the official also said for X, adding that there are nine detainees. “We will not allow impunity. Police actions continue” working on the case, Palencia said.
Ecuador bets on zero impunity
The former diplomat, who is the founder of a large agricultural products distribution company with half a century in the Ecuadorian market, was kidnapped along with his partner during the early hours of Saturday at their farm in the Baba canton (Los Ríos).
Within the framework of total secrecy on the part of the authorities, Ecuadorian media reported that Armstrong’s partner was released on Sunday when he went to a house apparently to collect money to pay the ransom.
The woman was wearing a bomb vest, which was deactivated by a police officer, according to local media.
The kidnapping occurred at a time when Ecuador is a center of operations for foreign and local drug cartels that impose a regime of terror with massacres, kidnappings and extortion.
Numerous gangs control the prisons and the streets, which has increased the level of violence. Since 2018, the national homicide rate has quadrupled, going from 6 to 26 per 100,000 inhabitants.
The president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, in power since November, is committed to a tough policy against drug organizations, which has permeated state institutions.
About 30 people, including judges, prosecutors and police officers of various ranks, were arrested a week ago for crimes related to organized crime.
Located between Colombia and Peru, the world’s largest cocaine producers, Ecuador reached a record of 210 tons of drugs seized in 2021.
Added to the drug war was political violence that shot down the life of one of the favorite candidates in the last presidential elections. During that campaign they also killed eight politicians, including a mayor and a candidate for deputy.
Due to its strategic location, Guayaquil – the nation’s commercial hub – and its surroundings have become a bastion of cartels that export drugs to the United States and Europe.
Source: AFP
